Motion capture element mount

ABSTRACT

Enables coupling or retrofitting a golf club with active motion capture electronics that are battery powered, passive or active shot count components, for example a passive RFID, and/or a visual marker on the cap for use with visual motion capture cameras. Does not require modifying the golf club. Electronics package and battery can be easily removed and replaced, for example without any tools. May utilize a weight that is removed when inserting the electronic package in the mount, wherein the weight element may have the same weight as an electronics package, for no net change or minimal change in club weight. May be implemented with a shaft enclosure and expander that may be coupled with a screw aligned along an axis parallel to the axis of the golf club shaft. May utilize non-permanently and/or friction coupling between the mount and golf club shaft. Cap may include a visual marker and/or logo.

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Utility patentapplication Ser. No. 13/048,850 filed 15 Mar. 2011, which is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. Utility patent application Ser. No.12/901,806 filed 11 Oct. 2010, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S.Utility patent application Ser. No. 12/868,882 filed 26 Aug. 2010, thespecifications of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

One or more embodiments setting forth the ideas described throughoutthis disclosure pertain to the field of mounts as utilized in sportingequipment for electronics and visual markers. More particularly, but notby way of limitation, one or more aspects of the disclosure enable amotion capture element mount.

2. Description of the Related Art

Known systems for mounting electronics on sporting equipment includemounts in the shafts of fishing poles, and golf clubs for example.Existing mounts have the following limitations:

Existing mounts for sporting equipment electronics require alteration ofan existing piece of sporting equipment before attaching the mount andhence electronics. For example, known mounts require modification of agolf club shaft to include threads.

Some mounts extend longitudinally away from the normal ending point ofthe shaft for a distance that is far enough to interfere with or providea confusing point at which to grasp the club.

Other mounts combine the electronics on the mount itself in a monolithicpackage that does not allow for the weight of the club to remainconstant with or without electronics installed. For example, in sportswith rules against instrumented sporting equipment, the weight of aninstrumented piece of sporting equipment differs from the weight of thesame non-instrumented piece of sporting equipment that complies withcompetition rules.

There are no known systems that include electronics within the shaft ofa piece of sporting equipment that are also utilized to provide a visualmarker for motion capture. Traditionally, mounts have been used forelectronics or visual markers, but not both.

For at least the limitations described above there is a need for amotion capture element mount.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the invention enable a motion capture element mount for apiece of sporting, exercise or medical rehabilitation equipment, forexample a golf club, tennis racquet, weight training bar, or any otherequipment capable of movement by a human. In addition, embodimentsenable existing equipment that was not manufactured originally with amount for electronics to be retrofitted with a motion capture elementmount. The apparatus may be located within a shaft or grip in the handleportion of the equipment for example. The mount is configured to holdelectronics and/or a visual marker. Embodiments of the invention do notrequire modifying the equipment, for example the golf club, to includethreads within the shaft. The apparatus may be flush mounted with thenormal end of the equipment or have any desired length of extension fromthe end of the equipment. The mount also allows for the battery to beeasily removed and replaced, for example without any tools. Although theremainder of this disclosure refers to an exemplary piece of equipmentsuch as a golf club, one skilled in the art will recognize thatembodiments of the invention may be utilized in any type of equipmentcapable of coupling with the apparatus.

One or more embodiments of the mount include a shaft enclosure andexpander that may be coupled with an attachment element, for example ascrew that is aligned along an axis parallel to the axis of the golfclub shaft. The shaft enclosure and expander are situated within thehandle portion of a golf club and engage in inner portion of the golfclub shaft or grip for example. In one or more embodiments, the screw isthen rotated to move the shaft enclosure and expander together, whichthus forces legs of the shaft enclosure in a direction orthogonal to theaxis of the golf club shaft. The force of the shaft enclosure againstthe inner wall of the golf club shaft thus couples the shaft enclosureto the golf club shaft non-permanently, for example based on thecoefficient of static friction therebetween. After the shaft enclosureand expander are brought close enough together via the attachmentelement to securely couple the mount to the golf club shaft or insideportion of a grip that is coupled to the golf club shaft, then eitherthe electronics package or a weight element is coupled with the shaftenclosure. Embodiments of the weight element require no modification ofthe equipment. A cap is coupled with the shaft enclosure in either case,which provides a cover for the weight element or electronics package andwhich may include a visual marker and/or logo on the cap. Any othermethod or structure that enables a non-permanent mount of the apparatusthat requires no modification of the golf club shaft is in keeping withthe spirit of the invention.

If the electronics package is installed, then generally a positivebattery contact, printed circuit board (PCB), an insulator or insulativespacer, with negative electrical contact and battery may be installedbetween the shaft enclosure and cap. The electronics that may be coupledwith the PCB for example may include active motion capture electronicsthat are battery powered, passive or active shot count components, forexample a passive or active radio frequency identification (RFID) tag.Embodiments of the electronics may include motion capture accelerometersand/or gyroscopes and/or an inertial measurement unit along withwireless transmitter/receiver or transceiver components. The RFID tagenables golf shots for each club associated with a golfer to be counted.Golf shots may optionally be counted via an identifier associated withmotion capture electronics on the golf club in conjunction with a mobilecomputer, for example an IPHONE® equipped with an RFID reader thatconcentrates the processing for golf shot counting on the mobilecomputer instead of on each golf club. Optionally a wireless antenna maybe coupled with the cap or alternatively may be implemented integral tothe PCB as desired. One or more embodiments of the invention may alsoinclude a Global Positioning System (GPS) antenna. The GPS antenna maybe mounted on the printed circuit board or may be located separate fromthe printed circuit board. One or more embodiments of the invention mayalso directly or indirectly communicate with any other sensors coupledwith the club including motion analysis capture elements, strain gaugesor any other type of sensor coupled for example with the golf club head.One or more embodiments of the invention may also utilize a batterycoupling that attaches the battery to the shaft enclosure so that whenthe cap is removed, the battery does not fall out, unless intended.Embodiments may also utilized spring based electrical contacts toprevent loss of electrical conductivity under high acceleration.

As previously stated, one or more embodiments may include a weightelement that is interchangeable with the electronic package in themount. The electronics package may be removed for example to comply withany sporting rules that do not allow instrumented sporting equipment.For example, USGA Rule 14-3 on Artificial Devices prohibits any “unusualdevice”, for example under 14-3(b) “For the purpose of gauging ormeasuring distance”. Any embodiment of the electronics package includinga GPS receiver may thus be removed prior to match play for example andreplaced with a weight element to minimize the weight difference. Forexample, the weight element may for example weigh close to or the sameas the electronics to minimize overall instrumented versusnon-instrumented weight differences of the golf club. In addition, amanufacture may provide the mount on each club with a small weight forexample, that is removed when the golfer decides to upgrade the club toinclude active instrumented electronics or passive shot count elementsthat weigh the same amount. The net effect on the club dynamics forswing then is negligible. In one embodiment, the plastic portion of themount weighs 5.7 grams and the battery weighs 3 grams while the screwweighs 1.9 grams. Thus the mounting components have minimal weight andby selecting a weight element of the same weight of the electronicspackage, or elements within the shaft enclosure and cap that arereplaced by the weight element, the golfer feels no change in clubweight when upgrading to an instrumented club.

The visual marker may be mounted on the cap for use with visual motioncapture cameras. A golf club number may also be displayed on in adisplay area of the cap to indicate which club number is associated withthe golf club. Embodiments of the visual marker may be passive oractive, meaning that they may either have a visual portion that isvisually trackable or may include a light emitting element such as alight emitting diode (LED) that allows for image tracking in low lightconditions respectively. This for example may be implemented with agraphical symbol or colored marker at the cap of the mount on the shaftat the end of the handle for example. Motion analysis may be performedexternally, for example using a camera and computer system based on thevisual marker in any captured images. The visual data may also beutilized in motion analysis in combination with any wireless data fromany installed electronics package.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the ideasconveyed through this disclosure will be more apparent from thefollowing more particular description thereof, presented in conjunctionwith the following drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of the invention alone in perspectiveview and as mounted in a golf club shaft as shown in cutaway view.

FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of the invention broken into anexploded view of the main components along with the golf club shafthandle and blow up views of the major components in transparent shading.

FIG. 3A illustrates a detailed cutaway view of the main components of anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3B illustrates a detailed cutaway view showing the negative batterycontact, also shown in full in exploded view in FIG. 4.

FIG. 3C illustrates a detailed cutaway view showing the positive batterycontact, also shown in full in exploded view in FIG. 4.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exploded view “A” of the main mount componentsalong with the positive battery contact and battery, while view “B1”shows a top oriented view of the insulator, negative battery contact,electronics package, here a printed circuit board or PCB and cap, whileview “B2” shows a bottom oriented view of the same components shown inview “B1”.

FIG. 4A illustrates an exploded view “A” of the main mount components ofa second embodiment of the invention along with the positive andnegative battery contact and battery, while view “B” shows a bottomoriented view of the insulator, positive and negative battery contact,electronics package, here a printed circuit board or PCB and cap.

FIG. 4B illustrates a perspective view of the shaft enclosure andinsulator of a second embodiment of the invention along with thepositive and negative battery contact and battery.

FIG. 4C illustrates a perspective view of the insulator along with thepositive and negative battery contact and battery.

FIG. 4D illustrates a perspective close-up view of the positive batterycontact.

FIG. 4E illustrates a top view of an embodiment of the insulator that isconfigured to house a battery along with specific exemplary dimensions.

FIG. 4F illustrates a first side of the embodiment of the insulator ofFIG. 4E.

FIG. 4G illustrates a second side of the embodiment of the insulator ofFIG. 4E.

FIG. 4H illustrates a cross section view “A” of FIG. 4F.

FIG. 4I illustrates a bottom view of the embodiment of the insulator ofFIG. 4E.

FIG. 5 illustrates a close up perspective view of the PCB and associatedpositive and negative contacts that are configured to make an electricalconnection with the positive battery contact and the negative batterycontact respectively.

FIG. 5A illustrates a second embodiment of the positive battery contactlocated in the shaft enclosure.

FIG. 6 illustrates a close up perspective view of the cap with PCB andnegative battery contact showing along with a coupling element, herefour coupling points, and alignment element.

FIG. 6A illustrates a second embodiment of the negative batter contacthaving faceted surfaces as shown from the bottom side of the insulator.

FIG. 6B illustrates the embodiment of FIG. 6A as shown from the top sideof the insulator.

FIG. 7 illustrates a close up perspective view of the cap and alignmentelement.

FIG. 8 illustrates a cutaway view of a second embodiment of theelectronics package in longitudinal form along with a second embodimentof a coupling element.

FIG. 9 illustrates an embodiment of a wireless antenna, for example aBLUETOOTH® antenna, configured to mount within the cap.

FIG. 9A illustrates an embodiment of the cap having two antennas, awireless antenna, for example a BLUETOOTH® antenna and a GPS antenna.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A motion capture element mount will now be described. In the followingexemplary description numerous specific details are set forth in orderto provide a more thorough understanding of the ideas describedthroughout this specification. It will be apparent, however, to anartisan of ordinary skill that embodiments of ideas described herein maybe practiced without incorporating all aspects of the specific detailsdescribed herein. In other instances, specific aspects well known tothose of ordinary skill in the art have not been described in detail soas not to obscure the disclosure. Readers should note that althoughexamples of the innovative concepts are set forth throughout thisdisclosure, the claims, and the full scope of any equivalents, are whatdefine the invention. Although this disclosure refers to an exemplarypiece of equipment such as a golf club, one skilled in the art willrecognize that embodiments of the invention may be utilized in anyequipment capable of coupling with the apparatus. This includes anypiece of sporting, exercise or medical rehabilitation equipment, forexample a golf club, tennis racquet, weight training bar, or any otherequipment capable of movement by a human.

FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of the invention 100 alone inperspective view and as mounted in a shaft of a piece of movementequipment, here golf club shaft 110 as shown in cutaway view.Embodiments enable a mount for a new golf club or that can beretrofitted in an existing golf club. The mount may be located in thehandle portion of the shaft of the golf club, or for example within agrip that is to be attached to the golf club shaft, and is configured tohold electronics and/or a visual marker.

FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of the invention broken into anexploded view of the main components along with the golf club shafthandle and blow up views of the major components in transparent shading.One or more embodiments of the mount include shaft enclosure 220 andexpander 210 that may be coupled with an attachment mechanism, forexample a screw aligned along an axis parallel to the axis of the golfclub shaft. The shaft enclosure and expander are situated within thehandle portion of a golf club, i.e., golf club shaft 110. In one or moreembodiments, the screw is then rotated to move the shaft enclosuretowards the expander, which thus forces legs of the shaft enclosure in adirection orthogonal to the axis of the golf club shaft. The force ofthe shaft enclosure against the inner wall of the golf club shaft thuscouples the shaft enclosure to the golf club shaft based on thecoefficient of static friction therebetween. Any other mechanism ofcoupling the shaft enclosure to a golf club in a non-permanent manner isin keeping with the spirit of the invention. After the shaft enclosureand expander are brought close enough together via the screw to securelycouple the mount to the golf club shaft, then either the electronicspackage or a weight element that may for example weigh the same as theelectronics, is coupled with the shaft enclosure. Cap 230 is coupledwith the shaft enclosure in either case, which provides a cover for theweight element or electronics package and which may include a visualmarker and/or logo on the cap. One or more embodiments of theelectronics package are removable to comply with any sporting rules thatdo not allow instrumented sporting equipment for example. Any othermethod or structure that enables a non-permanent mount of the apparatusthat requires no modification of the golf club shaft is in keeping withthe spirit of the invention.

Optionally, an identification element or ID sticker, for example an RFIDtag may be mounted within the shaft enclosure, cap, or any other portionof the apparatus, for shot count or club identification functionality.The identification element may also be implemented integral to, orcoupled with the PCB in any manner as desired.

If the electronics package is installed, then generally a positivebattery contact, printed circuit board or PCB, an insulator orinsulative spacer, with negative electrical contact and battery may beinstalled between the shaft enclosure and cap. Optionally, a wirelessantenna and/or GPS antenna may be coupled with the cap or alternativelymay be implemented integral to the PCB as desired. Also see FIGS. 3A-C,4, 4A-D and 9 for more detailed views.

FIG. 3A illustrates a detailed cutaway view of the main components of anembodiment of the invention, specifically expander 210, shaft enclosure220 and cap 230. FIG. 3B illustrates a detailed cutaway view showingnegative battery contact 450, also shown in full in exploded view inFIG. 4. FIG. 3C illustrates a detailed cutaway view showing positivebattery contact 420, also shown in full in exploded view in FIG. 4.Optional O-ring indentation 310 on shaft enclosure 220 provides apotential well for O-ring 320 to be located. Different size O-rings maybe utilized to provide a secure fit on the end of shaft enclosure 220 onthe end near cap 230.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exploded view “A” of the main mount components,namely expander 210, shaft enclosure 220 along with screw 410, positivebattery contact 420 and battery 430, while view “B1” shows a toporiented view of the insulator 440, negative battery contact 450,electronics package 460, here a printed circuit board or PCB and cap230, while view “B2” shows a bottom oriented view of the same componentsshown in view “B1”. The left portion of shaft enclosure 220 showsextensions or “legs” that allow for the shaft enclosure to radiallyexpand when expander 210 is pulled along the axis shown by screw 410,when screw 410 is rotated. To keep expander 210 from simply rotatingwhen screw 410 is rotated, expander 210 may include a protrusion (shownon the left side of the expander) that aligns in a slot formed by two ofthe shaft enclosure's legs. In this manner, expander 210 is pulled alongthe axis of the screw without rotating along that axis. Electronicspackage 460 for example may include active motion capture electronicsthat are battery powered, passive or active shot count components, forexample a passive or active RFID tag, which for example may be coupledwith electronics package 460 or for example coupled with insulator 440.In addition, a GPS antenna may also be coupled with electronics package460 or cap 230 (see FIG. 9A). Embodiments of the electronics may includemotion capture accelerometers and/or gyroscopes and/or an inertialmeasurement unit along with wireless transmitter/receiver or transceivercomponents. The RFID tag enables golf shots for each club associatedwith a golfer to be counted. The RFID tag may be coupled with anycomponent shown as RFID tags are tiny, for example cap 230 or shaftenclosure 220 or electronics package 460, or any other element. Golfshots may optionally be counted via an identifier associated with motioncapture electronics on the golf club in conjunction with a mobilecomputer, for example an IPHONE® equipped with an RFID reader thatconcentrates the processing for golf shot counting on the mobilecomputer instead of on each golf club.

The visual marker may be mounted on cap 230, shown as a circle with dotsin view B1 may be utilized with visual motion capture cameras. A golfclub number may also be displayed on in a display area of the cap toindicate which club number is associated with the golf club, which isshown as a small circle with a number in it in view B1. Embodiments ofthe visual marker may be passive or active, meaning that they may eitherhave a visual portion that is visually trackable or may include a lightemitting element such as a light emitting diode (LED) that allows forimage tracking in low light conditions respectively. This for examplemay be implemented with a graphical symbol or colored marker at the capof the mount on the shaft at the end of the handle for example. Motionanalysis may be performed externally, for example using a camera andcomputer system based on the visual marker in any captured images. Thevisual data may also be utilized in motion analysis in combination withany wireless data from electronics package 460.

FIG. 4A illustrates an exploded view “A” of the main mount components ofa second embodiment of the invention, namely expander 210 a, with ribsslightly offset with respect to expander 210 of FIG. 4. In addition,FIG. 4A also shows a second embodiment of shaft enclosure 220 a havingcoupling elements that enable second embodiment of insulator 440 a tosecurely couple to shaft enclosure 220 a without falling out if themount is turned upside down for example. In this embodiment, insulator440 a holds battery 430 inside while providing access to the battery sothat positive battery contact 420 a and negative battery contact 450 acan make electrical contact with battery 430. View “B” shows abottom-oriented view of the insulator, positive and negative batterycontact, electronics package, here a printed circuit board or PCB andcap. Weight element 490 can be any shape so long as weight element 490fits within, or couples in any direct or indirect manner with shaftenclosure 220 or 220 a and cap 230 for example. Weight element 490 canbe made to weigh as near as desired to the weight of the components thatit replaces, for example to comply with any sporting rules that do notallow instrumented sporting equipment, e.g., during competition. Weightelement 490 can also be utilized with the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 asone skilled in the art will appreciate.

FIG. 4B illustrates a perspective view of shaft enclosure 220 a andinsulator 440 a of the second embodiment of the invention of FIG. 4Aalong with the positive and negative battery contact 420 a and 450 arespectively (situated above holes in insulator 440 a) along withbattery 430 that is internally held within insulator 440 a. Insulator440 a includes for example snap components, e.g., coupling elements 441that couple with coupling elements 221 of shaft enclosure 220 a so thatinsulator 440 a and hence battery 430 do not fall out when the cap isremoved. To remove insulator 440 a and hence battery 430, tab 442 may beengaged with for example a finger, screw driver or other implement todisengage coupling elements 441 from coupling elements 221. Alignmentcomponent 443 enables rotational alignment of the insulator with theshaft enclosure.

FIG. 4C illustrates a perspective view of the insulator along with thepositive and negative battery contact 420 a and 450 a respectively, andbattery 430. Coupling elements 441 are shown on the top and bottom inthe written page, however any type of coupling element may be utilizedin keeping with the spirit of the invention as desired.

FIG. 4D illustrates a perspective close-up view of positive batterycontact 420 a. In one or more embodiments of the invention, the positiveand negative battery contacts may utilize the same structure. Any typeof positive and negative battery contacts may be utilized so long asthey maintain electric connection between the battery and electronicspackage.

FIG. 4E illustrates a top view of an embodiment of insulator 440 a thatis configured to house a battery along with specific exemplarydimensions. To remove insulator 440 a and hence the battery withininsulator 440 a, tab 442 may be engaged with for example a finger, screwdriver or other implement to disengage coupling elements 441 from thecoupling elements shown for example in FIG. 4B. In this figure, thenumbers represent millimeters, and angle tolerances are within 2degrees. As shown, this embodiment of insulator 440 a is configured tohouse a 6.4 mm battery. Although not required for distribution in somecountries, one or more embodiments of insulator 440 a may be constructedto be compliant with EU Directive 2002/95/EC (RoHS) and EU Directive2002/96/EC (WEEE). Embodiments may alternatively be constructed to becompliant with any other electrical or manufacturing standards asdesired.

FIG. 4F illustrates a first side of the embodiment of the insulator ofFIG. 4E. See also FIG. 4H for the cross section view. FIG. 4Gillustrates a second side of the embodiment of the insulator of FIG. 4E.FIG. 4H illustrates a cross section view “A” of FIG. 4F. FIG. 4Iillustrates a bottom view of the embodiment of the insulator of FIG. 4E.

FIG. 5 illustrates a close up perspective view of the electronicspackage 460 or PCB and associated positive contact 510 and negativecontact 520 that are configured to make an electrical connection withthe positive battery contact 420 and the negative battery contact 450respectively. See also FIG. 4 for an exploded view of the relativepositioning of the components shown in this figure.

FIG. 5A illustrates a second embodiment of positive battery contact 420b located in the shaft enclosure. This embodiment is symmetrical in thatthere are two opposing sets of upward projections from the base planethat contacts shaft enclosure 220. One of the opposing sets of upwardprojections of positive battery contact 420 b are slightly wider and arepositioned within areas on shaft enclosure 220 to allow for radiallyaligning positive battery contact 420 b with respect to shaft enclosure220.

FIG. 6 illustrates a close up perspective view of cap 230 withelectronics package 460 or PCB and negative battery contact 450 coupledwith insulator 440 showing along with a coupling element, here fourcoupling points 610 (with only the top two shown with reference number610 with the inside portions visible, while the opposing two have onlythe initial slot openings in the cap visible), and alignment element620.

FIG. 6A illustrates a second embodiment of the negative battery contact450 b having faceted surfaces as shown from the bottom side of insulator440. FIG. 6B illustrates the embodiment of FIG. 6A as shown from the topside of the insulator. The right portion of negative battery contact 450b as shown may be folded over to engage insulator 440 while the opposingend of negative battery contact 450 b may freely travel in a slotprovided in insulator 440. The slot allows for the negative batterycontact 450 b to flatten, and hence travel in the slot, based on theforce generated by placing the battery against negative battery contact450 b.

FIG. 7 illustrates a close up perspective view of the cap and alignmentelement. Alignment element 620 allows for the angular alignment ofinsulator 440, and electronics package 460 that have indents on theirsides to engage the alignment element 620. (See FIG. 4). By aligninginsulator 440 and electronics package 460 with cap 230, positive batterycontact 420 and negative electrical contact 450 are also alignedrotationally since they couple to respective componentsnon-rotationally, for example.

FIG. 8 illustrates a cutaway view of a second embodiment of electronicspackage 460 a in longitudinal form along with a second embodiment of acoupling element. Any other orientation of electronics is in keepingwith the spirit of the invention so long as the mount is configured tohold the desired electronics package. Embodiments of the invention donot require modifying the golf club, for example to include threadswithin the shaft. Embodiments of the invention also can be flush mountedwith the normal end of a golf club shaft or have any desired low profileextension from a non-instrumented club. Embodiments of the inventiongenerally utilize a mount that is separate from the electronics so thatthe electronics package can be easily removed and replaced, or so thatthe battery can be easily removed and replaced, for example without anytools. As shown in this embodiment, a different coupling mechanism isused versus coupling points 610, namely threads 810 that engage shaftenclosure 220, which in this embodiment has corresponding threads.

FIG. 9 illustrates an embodiment of wireless antenna 910, configured tomount within cap 230 as shown in the right portion of the figure.Alternatively, the wireless antenna may be coupled with the electronicspackage 460 or may include any conductive element in any shape that canradiate electromagnetic energy.

FIG. 9A illustrates an embodiment of the cap having two antennas, awireless antenna, for example a BLUETOOTH® antenna and a GPS antenna920. The GPS antenna is optional and may be mounted in cap 230 aswireless antenna 910 is, or may be implemented in a different formfactor or coupled with the PCB in any direct or indirect manner as oneskilled in the art will appreciate.

While the ideas herein disclosed has been described by means of specificembodiments and applications thereof, numerous modifications andvariations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention set forth in the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A motion capture element mount comprising: anexpander; a shaft enclosure configured to couple with said expander,wherein said shaft enclosure and said expander are configured to besituated within a piece of equipment; an attachment element configuredto couple said expander with said shaft enclosure and non-permanentlyengage an inner portion of said piece of equipment without modificationof said piece of equipment; a cap; wherein said shaft enclosure isconfigured to non-permanently couple with said cap; electricalcomponents comprising at least an accelerometer or gyroscope or both;wherein said electrical components are couple with said shaft enclosureand between said shaft enclosure and said cap, and, wherein saidelectrical components further comprise a positive battery contact, aninsulator that is electrically insulative, a negative battery contact anelectronics package, and a wireless antenna; wherein said shaftenclosure comprises a first set of coupling elements and said insulatorcomprises a second set of coupling elements, such that said insulatorcouples with said shaft enclosure via said first set of couplingelements and said second set of coupling elements; an alignmentconfigured to rotationally align said insulator or with said shaftenclosure, and angularly align said insulator and said electronicspackage with said cap; a weight element; and wherein said shaftenclosure and said cap are further configured to internally hold saidweight element when at least one of said electrical components isremoved, wherein said weight element comprises a shape such that saidweight element fits within said shaft enclosure and said cap, whereinsaid cap covers said weight element, and, wherein said weight element issubstantially equal in weight to said at least one of said electricalcomponents to minimize a difference in weight between said at least oneof said electrical components that is removed and said weight element tokeep a total weight of said motion capture element mount of equal valuebefore said at least one of said electrical components is removed andafter said at least one of said electrical components is removed andreplaced by said weight element.
 2. The apparatus claim 1 wherein saidelectrical components are removable to comply with sporting regulations.3. The apparatus claim 1 wherein said piece of equipment is a piece ofsporting, exercise or medical rehabilitation equipment, or a golf club,tennis racquet, or weight training bar.
 4. The apparatus claim 1 furthercomprising: an identifier coupled with said electronics packageassociated with a golf club number.
 5. The apparatus claim 1 furthercomprising: an identifier coupled with said electronics packageassociated with a golf club number wherein said identifier is passiveand is configured to operate without contact with a battery or whereinsaid identifier is active and is configured to couple with a battery. 6.The apparatus claim 1 further comprising at least one passive or activevisual marker coupled to said cap and comprises a plurality ofpositionally offset visual elements; wherein plurality of positionallyoffset visual elements are arranged in a non-linear pattern. whereinsaid at least one passive or visual marker further comprises a pluralityof non-overlapping areas, wherein the plurality of non-overlapping areasenable visual determination of a rotational orientation of the at leastone passive or active marker from a point orthogonal to a plane thatpasses through the plurality of non-overlapping areas; and, wherein saidat least one passive or active visual marker comprising said pluralityof positionally offset visual elements further comprises at least onemarker portion that is visually trackable, or at least one lightemitting diode configured to track images in low light conditions. 7.The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said plurality of non-overlapping areascomprise a plurality of positionally offset dots, and wherein saidplurality of positionally offset dots arranged in a non-linear pattern.8. The apparatus claim 1 further comprising: a display area coupled withsaid cap and configured to display a golf club number associated withsaid piece of equipment.
 9. The apparatus claim 1 wherein said cap andsaid shaft enclosure are configured to couple together with a pluralityof coupling elements situated around said cap.
 10. A motion captureelement mount comprising: an expander; a shaft enclosure configured tocouple with said expander, wherein said shaft enclosure and saidexpander are configured situated within a piece of equipment; anattachment element configured to couple said expander with said shaftenclosure and non-permanently engage an inner portion of a golf clubshaft or grip of a golf club without modification of said piece ofequipment; a cap; electrical components comprising at least anaccelerometer or gyroscope or both; a positive battery contact; aninsulator that is electrically insulative; a negative battery contact;and, an electronics package; and, wherein said electrical components arecoupled said shaft enclosure and between said shaft enclosure and saidcap; wherein said shaft enclosure comprises a first set of couplingelements and said insulator comprises a second set of coupling elements,such that said insulator couples with said shaft enclosure via saidfirst set of coupling elements and said second set of coupling elements;wherein said shaft enclosure and said cap are configured to internallyhold said positive battery contact, said insulator, said negativebattery contact and said electronics package; an alignment elementconfigured to rotationally align said insulator with said shaftenclosure, and angularly align said insulator and said electronicspackage with said cap; and, a weight element; wherein said shaftenclosure and said cap are further configured to internally hold saidweight element when at least one of said electrical components isremoved, wherein said weight element comprises a shape such that sailweight element fits within said shaft enclosure and said cap, whereinsaid cap covers said weight element, and, wherein said weight element issubstantially equal in weight to said at least one of said electricalcomponents to minimize a difference in weight between said at least oneof said electrical components that is removed and said weight element tokeep a total weight of said motion capture element mount of equal valuebefore said at least one of said electrical components is removed andafter said at least one of said electrical components is removed andreplaced by said weight element.
 11. The apparatus claim 10 wherein saidelectrical components are removable to comply with sporting regulations.12. The apparatus claim 10 further comprising: a wireless antennacoupled with said cap and coupled with said electronics package.
 13. Theapparatus claim 10 further comprising: an identifier coupled with saidelectronics package associated with a golf club number.
 14. Theapparatus claim 10 further comprising: an identifier coupled with saidelectronics package associated with a golf club number wherein saididentifier is active and is configured to couple with a battery or ispassive and is configured to operate without contact with a battery. 15.The apparatus claim 10 further comprising at least one passive or activevisual marker coupled to said cap and comprises a plurality ofpositionally offset visual elements; wherein said plurality ofpositionally offset visual elements are arranged in a non-linearpattern; wherein said at least one passive or visual marker furthercomprises a plurality of non-overlapping areas, wherein the plurality ofnon-overlapping areas enable visual determination of a rotationalorientation of the at least one passive or active marker from a pointorthogonal to a plane that passes through the plurality ofnon-overlapping areas; and wherein said at least one passive or activevisual marker comprising said plurality of positionally offset visualelements further comprises at least one marker portion that is visuallytrackable, or at least one light emitting diode configured to trackimages in low light conditions.
 16. The apparatus claim 10 wherein saidcap and said shaft enclosure are configured to couple together with aplurality of coupling elements situated around said cap.
 17. Theapparatus claim 10 further comprising: a display area coupled with saidcap and configured to display a golf club number associated with saidpiece of equipment.
 18. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein said pluralityof non-overlapping areas comprise a plurality of positionally offsetdots, and wherein said plurality of positionally offset dots arearranged in a non-linear pattern.
 19. A motion capture element mountcomprising: an expander; a shaft enclosure configured to couple withsaid expander, wherein said shaft enclosure and said expander areconfigured to be situated a pee of equipment; an attachment elementconfigured to couple said expander with said shaft enclosure andnon-permanently engage an inner portion of a golf club shaft or grip ofa golf club without modification of said piece of equipment; a cap; atleast one passive or active visual marker coupled to said cap andcomprises a plurality of positionally offset visual elements; whereinsaid at least one passive or visual marker further comprises a pluralityof non-overlapping areas with a plurality of positionally offset dots,wherein said plurality of positionally offset visual elements arearranged in a non-linear pattern, and wherein the plurality ofnon-overlapping areas enable visual determination of a rotationalorientation of the at least one passive or active marker from a pointorthogonal to a plane that passes through the plurality ofnon-overlapping areas; electrical components comprising at least anaccelerometer or gyroscope or both; a positive battery contact; aninsulator that is electrically insulative; a negative battery contact;an electronics package; and, an identifier; wherein said electricalcomponents are coupled with said shaft enclosure and arranged betweensaid shaft enclosure and said cap; and, wherein said shaft enclosurecomprises a first set of coupling elements and said insulator comprisesa second set of counting elements, such that said insulator couples withsaid shaft enclosure via said first set of coupling elements and saidsecond set of coupling elements; an alignment element configured torotationally align said insulator with said shaft enclosure, andangularly align said insulator and said electronics package said cap; awireless antenna; a visual marker coupled with said cap; a display areacoupled with said cap and configured to display a golf club numberassociated with said piece of equipment; a weight element; wherein saidshaft enclosure and said cap are further configured to internally holdsaid weight element when at least one of said electrical components isremoved, wherein said weight element comprises a shape such that saidweight element fits within said shaft enclosure and said cap, whereinsaid cap covers said weight element, wherein said weight element issubstantially equal in weight to said at least one of said electricalcomponents to minimize a difference in weight between said at least oneof said at least one of said electrical components that is removed andsaid weight element to keep a total weight of said motion captureelement mount of equal value before said at least one of said electricalcomponents is removed and after said at least one of said electricalcomponents is removed and replaced by said weight element; and, whereinsaid shaft enclosure and said cap are configured to internally hold saidpositive battery contact, said insulator, said negative battery contact,said electronics package, said identifier and said wireless antenna andwherein said electrical components are removable from within said shaftenclosure and said cap to comply with sporting regulations.